“Might I trouble you for it — the inside page, please, with the leading articles?” He glanced swiftly over it, running his eyes up and down the columns. “Capital article this on free trade. Permit me to give you an extract from it.

“You may be cajoled into imagining that your own special trade or your own industry will be encouraged by a protective tariff, but it stands to reason that such legislation must in the long run keep away wealth from the country, diminish the value of our imports, and lower the general conditions of life in this island.

“What do you think of that, Watson?” cried Holmes in high glee, rubbing his hands together with satisfaction. “Don’t you think that is an admirable sentiment?”

[2] Steve Horwitz’s take on the issue of global warming is wise: http://www.thefreemanonline.org/headline/global-warming-social-science/

[3] I learn from Steve Landsburg that Mark Skousen has discovered a new profit-opportunity: opening a grocery store that offers fewer choices than do modern-day supermarket (assuming, that is, that Mark’s suspicions about consumers’ demand for variety are correct): http://www.thebigquestions.com/2012/08/14/enough-already/

[4] Mark Perry is not a member of the Pigou Club: http://www.aei.org/article/energy-and-the-environment/carbon-tax-proposal-will-hobble-our-already-challenged-economy-stall-growth/

[5] Speaking of my former research-assistant (and my current superior at blogging), Prof. Perry, here’s another of his fine recent posts at Carpe Diem: http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2012/08/cleaned-by-capitailism-polluted-by.html

[6] Perry Eidelbus: http://eidelblog.blogspot.com/

[7] The Hound of the Baskervilles: http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Hound-Baskervilles-BBC-Books/dp/184990409X/ref=sr_1_20?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345560910&sr=1-20

[8] Richard Rahn calls for an end to global economic malpractice: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/aug/20/stop-global-economic-malpractice/

[9] The Locovore’s Dilemma: In Praise of the 10,000-Mile Diet: http://www.amazon.com/The-Locavores-Dilemma-Praise-000-mile/dp/1586489402/ref=la_B0072J6WUE_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343389977&sr=1-1

[10] Mr. Hurst writing wisely about the flood of nonsense raining down from discussions about the current drought: http://american.com/archive/2012/august/raining-nonsense-during-a-drought